The Masked Yule Ball
by storylover sam
Summary: After the war, Hermione wants to move on from Ron so attends the Hogwarts masked ball in her 7th year. Whilst there, she meets a handsome stranger who seems perfect. But has she met him before? Hermione/Draco, Harry/Ginny, Luna/Neville
1. Chapter 1 The Ball

The Masked Yule Ball

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters associated with him – they all belong to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.

**Chapter One** – The Ball

After the terrible events of the war, the wizarding world had become more focused on uniting different people and savouring precious moments – and none more so than those at Hogwarts. When the Golden Trio and their friends returned to Hogwarts to re-do their seventh year, they'd found that there'd been more attempts to unite the four houses. Some Slytherins found this hard (as their parents were now in prison) but everyone was prepared to start anew to make sure the war never happened again.

It was this feeling that led to the new Inter-House Dance, supposed to help build friendships. It was basically like the Yule Ball – but with masks so you didn't know who you were with. That way, you couldn't judge who people were just by looking and would have to get to know them. At the end of the dance, everyone removed their masks and found out who they'd been with all evening. Obviously, you went with your friends but were encouraged to go meet other people you didn't know.

Hermione hadn't been planning on going to the ball. Although the Hogwarts castle had been restored, the same couldn't be said for her relationship with Ron. They'd decided to just stay friends and, embarrassed over their kiss, found it difficult to talk to each other. Then Lavender had got back with Ron so now Hermione was trying to avoid him. She'd asked Harry and Ginny, who were currently dating (nice to see one relationship working out), not to get involved as she didn't want things to be awkward for them too. But Ginny had encouraged her to go to the ball – in the hope that she might meet someone there who would help her forget about Ron.

So that was how she'd ended up outside the Great Hall, wearing a long blue dress that showed off her slim figure and silver high heels. She'd also done up her hair (using magic to straighten it) – tying some of it up into a semi-bun and letting the strands fall across her shoulders and beside her cheeks. Her mask covered the top half of her face and was blue to match her dress, decorated with silver.

Those who had seen her couldn't believe it was Hermione – she looked so beautiful – but her friends knew and were pleased she was doing this. Ron had looked very surprised and Lavender very jealous, and Hermione couldn't help feeling a little smug. She knew she looked nice – everyone's reaction had proven it. She just hoped Ginny had been right when she'd said this night would be good for her. "Just go out there and show all the boys what they're missing!" Hermione had laughed when she'd said that but the idea had appealed to her and she kinda wanted to prove to herself (and Ron) that she could meet other people, have a good time and – most importantly – _move on_.

"Hermione?" Hermione turned and saw Ginny and Harry, both matching in black – Harry in a smart tuxedo (they allowed muggle outfits as well as dress robes now) and Ginny in a little black dress. They were easily recognisable – Ginny and her famous, Weasley-red hair; Harry and his dark hair with the messy tuft at the back that never laid flat. Hermione wasn't so easy to recognise now her bush of curls had been straightened. "Hi, guys! You ready to go in?"

"Yep!" answered Ginny, excitedly. Harry just nodded and smiled nervously – dancing was more Ginny's thing and he was only going to keep her happy but he wasn't sure how well his dancing skills (or, rather, lack of) would go down. "So let's go!" Ginny grabbed both of their hands and pulled them into the hall, which had been transformed for the evening.

It was almost as if the Yule Ball was being held again (only this time, there were no Christmas trees). The walls and ceiling were beautifully decorated, and the long tables had been replaced with small, circular tables – making it easier to mix with others. They spotted Ron (well, his hair at least) and headed over to his table where he was sitting with Lavender, whose dress matched the colour of her name. The other seventh years were there, too, along with members of the DA: Dean, Parvati, Neville, Seamus, Luna…they'd all come back. Oh, and there was little Colin Creevey sitting nearby, waving excitedly, with his brother Dennis at his shoulder. And here was-

"Hello, Potter." Blaise Zabini, a good friend of Malfoy's. Sure, he was wearing a mask but you couldn't _not_ recognise him. His cocky, arrogant manor hadn't changed. "And if you're wondering how I recognised you, _Scar_-head…your hair stands out a mile away. In fact, it's even more noticeable than Weaslette and Weaselbee here." He smirked at Ron and Ginny before turning to Hermione – and here he faltered. "And if it isn't..?"

Now it was Hermione's turn to smirk. "I'm Hermione – don't you recognise me?"

Blaise looked surprised for a second – almost admiring – before pulling himself together. "Well, well. Without your bush-head, you almost look normal, Granger." Secretly, though, he couldn't help admiring how good she looked – but he could never admit that.

"Cool it, Zabini," muttered Harry. He wasn't the only one glaring at Zabini – pretty much everyone else within 10 seats were staring at him with stony eyes and some had their fists in their pockets, clenched around their wands. Blaise became aware of this. "Alright, I'm…sorry. After everything that's happened, I _am_ trying to change but…I guess old habits die hard. Well, anyway, have a…have a nice evening. I'm only here as I'm trying to find Draco. I, eh, don't suppose you've seen him?"

Hermione, seeing he was sincerely trying to make peace, smiled in a friendly way and shook her head. "No, sorry. We only just got here," indicating herself, Ginny and Harry. Taking her lead, everyone nearby either said "No" or just shook their heads.

"Okay…Well, thanks anyway. Bye." And with that, he headed into the crowd, hoping to catch sight of Draco.

"Come on, let's sit down," said Ginny. They all sat and each table began to talk amongst themselves. "Do you think he'll find Malfoy?" asked Hermione, staring after Blaise. "Who cares?" said Ron. "And besides, I doubt it'll be too difficult. Malfoy's hair stands out a mile." That was true – like the famous Weasley-red hair, Draco Malfoy and his father were known for having very pale (almost white) blond hair.

After a while, their friends left the tables to dance and eventually, only Hermione, Ginny and Harry were left. Lavender had dragged Ron off to dance, and Luna and Neville had gone to get drinks (it was becoming apparent that they were starting to fancy each other). Harry had been trying to get out of dancing all night but Ginny was now pulling on his hand, encouraging him to go on the dance floor. Hermione smiled and added encouragingly, "Go on, Harry. You're not _that_ bad a dancer. And you've faced much worse than this! You've fought Voldemort _numerous_ times – and defeated him, I might add. You've also faced numerous death eaters and dementors, fought against a Basilisk in your second year, fought a dragon and other horrid creatures in fourth year during the Triwizard Tournament, broke into the Ministry of Magic in fifth year, and have proven yourself in battle – both in sixth year and when we should have been in seventh year. Now, compared to all that, _surely_ dancing isn't that bad?"

"I'm not so sure," she heard him mutter as he was dragged away by Ginny. Hermione smiled to herself as Luna and Neville came back. "Oh, hey guys!...What are you so smiley about?" Luna and Neville had both sat down, beaming: Neville looked rather embarrassed and Luna rather flushed. "What is it?" asked Hermione. She knew at once that something had happened between them and it didn't seem to be bad…

"Well," said Neville, hesitantly, "we…we just had…"

"Our first kiss," whispered Luna, dreamily. She smiled at Neville who went pink and quickly took a sip from his glass. Hermione clapped her hands together joyfully. "Oh, well done guys! I'm so happy for you! We've all been wondering when it would happen."

"Who's been wondering?" asked Neville, looking up from his glass.

"Everyone! We're your friends and we could see you two really liked each other – ooh, wait until everyone hears! They'll be so pleased."

"Um, actually…"

"Hermione, we'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone just yet," said Luna. "We'd rather keep it a secret for now – until we've figured it all out, I mean. We wanna know if this is gonna lead somewhere serious before telling anyone."

Hermione managed not to snort. The words 'serious' and 'Luna' in the same sentence were hard to imagine. Luna believed in so many myths and nonsense, it was hard to tell if she was real or not herself. But Luna was really nice, like Neville, and she knew they'd be good for each other – but above all, they were her friends and she respected their wishes. "Okay, I promise. I won't tell a soul. But I really am pleased for you."

The couple smiled and Luna gazed out at all the other couples dancing nearby. Hermione looked pointedly at Neville, than at Luna and the dancers. He got the hint. "Er, Luna? Do you wanna dance?"

"Okay." She smiled before taking his hand and letting him lead her onto the dance floor. Hermione watched them for a while, as well as her other friends and then sighed. She was sitting there, all alone, watching her friends having a good time. Yes, she was happy for them but she wished she had someone to talk to. After all, she'd only come as Ginny had told her she needed to move on and meet other people. Well, where were they…?

**Notes**: Hello! This is my first fanfic and I'd really like some constructive criticism. But please don't be too harsh!


	2. Chapter 2 The Meeting

The Masked Yule Ball

**Chapter Two** – The Meeting

Deciding they weren't going to come to her there, she got up and headed over to the drinks table. At least she wouldn't look sad or lonely there like sitting at a large table by herself. Not only were there drinks, there were also snacks and nibbles along the table. Holding a glass full of some pink liquid that was clearly designed for someone with a sweet tooth (which she had, despite her parents being dentists), she walked along the table and spied a chocolate fountain with a plate for the little cocktail sticks you used to dip into the chocolate: they were laden with marshmallows, fudge and strawberries. However, there was only one cocktail stick left.

Just as she reached out for it, another hand beat her to it and brushed against hers. She looked up and met the grey eyes of a handsome stranger. Well, she assumed he was handsome – the top half of his face was hidden by the grey mask he wore – but he had good bone structure and was tall as well as muscular. His dark hair was well combed and his black suit looked brand new. But although she didn't recognise him, she was sure those eyes were familiar…

"I'm sorry. Would you like this?" he asked, holding up the cocktail stick. His voice was familiar, too…

"Em…thank you," she replied, taking the stick and continued to stare, trying to place him. He raised one eyebrow. "What?" he asked. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she gushed, "but…I'm sure I recognise you from somewhere. I just can't place you…"

She thought she saw a flicker of worry in his eyes but it passed – so quickly she wasn't sure if it was real. "It doesn't matter," she said, looking away, knowing she was making him uncomfortable. She snapped the cocktail stick in half and handed one piece to the stranger. "Since there's only one left, we'll just have to share."

"You can have it all, you know," said the stranger, politely. "No – I don't want it all. I just wanted a taste. I'd rather if we shared it," persuaded Hermione. He hesitated before taking it. "Well, alright. If you'd prefer."

The chocolate was – to put it quite simply – _heavenly_. It had a sweet, creamy, _melt-in-the-mouth_ feature that drowned your taste-buds in pleasure. Add the sweetness of the other accessories and it was incredible – she thought of how she felt on her birthday or when she got good marks on her homework. Was this a special kind of _magic_ chocolate that brought happy feelings? she wondered. Her mouth was totally covered in chocolate and so was the stranger's – laughing, they grabbed napkins and began scrubbing their faces clean.

She turned back to the boy and asked, "Enjoy?" Giving her a smile which showed perfect teeth (with no chocolate stains), he said, "Oh, yes. This is the best chocolate I've ever had – and that's saying something, considering…" He suddenly stopped as if he'd said too much. To change the subject, he said, "You've got chocolate on your nose."

Hermione felt her nose and found he was right. How did she miss that? She quickly wiped it off and asked, "What's your name?" Again, he hesitated. Hermione wondered what was wrong. Had he something to hide? Maybe he was afraid she wouldn't like him. Was he a Slytherin? Since the war, most Slytherins had been trying to act nicely towards others – which was difficult as they'd been brought up to do the opposite. Draco Malfoy was a perfect example of that. His father had pretty much brainwashed him into believing that 'pure-bloods' were supreme and anything or anyone who didn't fit into that category or didn't agree was wrong – they shouldn't exist. Yes, Malfoy was horrible but that's how he'd been brought up and if he hadn't been horrible, his father probably would have killed him…or Voldemort. Hermione had tried to be more forgiving towards everyone lately as life was too precious to waste on stupid grudges. _Except_ for maybe Ron…and Lavender.

"I said, do you want to dance?" A voice pulled her back to her senses. She'd zoned out whilst thinking and had completely ignored him. He was staring at her, head tilted and one eyebrow raised, obviously wondering if she was okay. She smiled. "Sorry. I was just thinking of something else. And yes – I'd love to dance."

He took her hand and let her onto the floor. It was slow music playing and as there was a large crowd, they could only move in a small circle, swaying to the music. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Hhmm?" He looked down. "What's that?"

"What's your name?" He paused for a moment, thinking, before saying, "I thought the point of this ball was that you didn't find out who you're with until the end."

"Yes, but I'd still like to call you something. I can't go around calling you 'thingy' all night." He laughed when she said 'thingy' and smiled down at her. "Fair point. But, uh…my name isn't very common, like Harry or John. It's quite recognisable."

"Hhmm…mine, too" said Hermione, trying to think of people she knew who shared her name. She didn't get anything. "Well, what about a nickname? You can call me Mina – it's _kinda_ like mine." Well, it was _kind_ of: Hermione → 'Mione → Mina.

"Okay, 'Mina'. You can call me…Darrell. It begins with a D – like my name!"

"Well, 'Darrell'…how has your evening been so far?"

"…It's got better since I arrived at the buffet table and spotted the chocolate fountain." Hermione smiled. She felt the same way. He continued, "But the main reason I went to the buffet table was to get away from my friends. They kept asking me to go with them to talk to girls and dance with them. They keep saying I need to 'get out more' and meet more people."

Hermione tried not to laugh – the guy was being serious – but a small giggle managed to escape her lips. "What?" he asked. "Nothing. It's just that…I'm in the exact same position. I recently stopped dating someone and my friends keep saying I only ever seem to be in either classes or the library – and that I only go to our tower to sleep in my dormitory. I'm only here tonight because my friend, Ginny, pretty much dragged me here – she said it'd help me meet new people. I'm sure if I hadn't agreed to come voluntarily, she'd have dressed me, tied me up and carried me here."

Darrell chuckled. "I'd like to see that!" There was a moment's silence before Darrell asked, "Ginny? The only Ginny I know is Ginny Weasley…Is it that Ginny?" "Yes." Darrell nodded. "So you know the Weasleys?" Hermione nodded. "Then that must mean you know Harry Potter?"

Hermione froze. "…Yes? What about him?"

"Oh, nothing. I just wondered…trying to figure out who you are, that's all. And I know we're not to find out who we're with till midnight but we can ask questions and guess – and then find out later if we're right."

Hermione relaxed and smiled again. "Fair point. So, now you know who my friends are, can I ask who yours are?"

"Well," began Darrell. "I only really have one main friend – he's with me in the Quidditch team."

"Oh, you're a Quidditch player? How long have you been playing?"

"Pretty much all my life."

"Oh – so you're from a wizarding family?"

"Yeah, I am. I've known I was a wizard for years – unlike muggle-borns or possibly half-bloods…Not that there's anything wrong with them! No, that's all over now. Blood purity and all that – it's finished!"

Hermione smiled. "Good, cause I am one – a muggle-born, that is. And I don't see how that makes me any different from anyone else. I'm probably one of the best witches in my year! I know that's not very modest but…I'm just as good a witch – and possibly better – than anyone I know."

"Well, like I said, the whole blood purity thing is gone. We're all the same." He looked up as he spoke and stopped. They'd been turning in a circle the whole time they'd been talking but now Darrell had stopped moving altogether, staring in one direction.. "What is it?" asked Hermione. She looked round but all she could see was the people dancing around her – she didn't have Darrell's height so couldn't see what he was staring at over everyone's shoulders.

Then she knew. She heard – she saw – but she couldn't speak. What was he doing? she wondered, staring, as the wave of red hair forced its way through the crowd towards her: shoving past everyone, ignoring the annoyed glares and pained gasps as someone felt an elbow or foot. Ronald Weasley. He was charging towards them like an angry bull – with the poor surrounding dancers acting as the china shop. When he finally reached them, he took one quick look at Hermione before glaring at Darrell. What _was_ his problem?


	3. Chapter 3 The Confrontation

The Masked Yule Ball

**Chapter Three** – A Confrontation

"What's going on here?" demanded Ron.

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Who the hell is this?" Ron demanded, looking at Darrell.

His tone puts Hermione's back up. "None of your business! And why should it bother you? You came here with a date – why don't you go dance with her?"

"I've been dancing with her all evening."

"Well, you don't sound very happy about it! Aren't you having a good time with your date?" she asked sarcastically. "At least I managed to come with a date!" he snarled back. She gasped. What a nerve! "Why, you…You _know_ why I don't have a date! It's because of _you_! And besides, the whole point of this ball was to meet new people – which is _exactly_ what I'm doing! I don't have to be with my friends _all_ evening!"

"Why not? You make it sound like there's something _wrong_ with us. And don't go spewing all that Dumbledore stuff about 'inter-house unity' and over-coming rivalries – the war may be over but some things never change. Like people…" and he glared at Darrell. "How do you know this guy isn't an ex-death eater?"

"That's – just – the _point_," Hermione growled through gritted teeth. "I won't find out until the end of the evening. And you're absolutely right, Ronald. Some people _never_ change. You're still the big-headed, pompous, jealous _twat_ that I've known for years!" Ron glared. "Oh, yeah? Well, you're still the…bushy-haired, study-loving, grade-hugging, know-it-all little…bookworm of a teacher's pet!"

She laughed. "Do you call that an _insult_? It's pathetic. It's just a bunch of words that you tried to put together and came away with one image: idiot. Namely _you_! And for another thing, those things you've just called me? I'm actually _proud_ of being them. Study-loving? Grade-hugging? Know-it-all? Yes – I'm all of them and more. And they mean I'll get good grades, a good job and a good salary. And where will you be? With your grades and lousy study attitude, I doubt you'll have enough money to keep a roof over your head."

Ron stared at her, unable to think of a retort. Darrell smirked at his face, pleased the girl had gotten one over him, and Ron caught the smirk. He lashed out and punched Darrell straight in the nose, sending him flying into the nearby dancers. He turned back to Hermione. "Did I also mention boring? Maybe if you didn't read so much or try to be so smart and go out every once in a while, we'd still be together."

Hermione gasped. "You…!" But before she could say anything, Darrell reappeared and launched himself at Ron. They ended up rolling on the floor, throwing punches everywhere, with everyone nearby trying to get out of the way. Teachers quickly appeared to break up the fight. Ron's nose was bleeding profusely but Darrell looked unharmed, apart from perhaps his pride. He seemed ashamed of himself and Hermione wasn't sure why. Was it because Ron had floored him on the first punch? He'd been taken by surprise so surely it wasn't that? Or maybe it was because he _was_ a Slytherin and was trying to change – and getting into a scrap with someone wasn't a good step towards changing.

She was facing Ron, who was looking at her sullenly. "Seems your boyfriend decided you weren't worth the trouble," he sneered. Hermione looked round and saw he was right – Darrel was nowhere in sight. She settled in giving Ron a disappointed look, hoping he'd realise how disgusted she was with him, before turning on her heel and marching away through the crowd.

Those who had witnessed the fight slowly began to dance again and forgot all about what had happened. Ron went back to the others but didn't say how he'd gotten the bloody nose (of course Lavender, as soon as she saw it, fussed over him so much that everyone nearby began to feel slightly sick).

Hermione walked out of the hall into the darkened corridor outside and just stood there, breathing heavily and clenching her fists. Leave it to him! she thought. Leave it to him to ruin everything. She was still trying to get over him and it was proving very difficult. Yes, they'd ended on good terms (sort of) when they found they couldn't work as a couple but the fact that Ron had just gone back to Lavender straight away hurt – and after what he'd just said, she was beginning to wonder if he'd ever had any feelings for her at all. It would explain how he'd been able to move on so quickly and easily. It could also explain why their relationship had never worked. He found her boring? But they'd been friends for several years, he knew what she was like with books and reading and things. And whilst she knew he found her constant visits to the library and endless book-knowledge slightly annoying, he'd never actually said it was _boring_ – or that _she_ was boring.

"Are you all right?" asked a voice from behind her. She jumped and turned round. It was Darrell! He hadn't left her, then – he must have followed her to see if she was okay. Despite Ron's words, she was able to smile at him, pleased he was there. "I'm better now." He smiled back. "Good. I wasn't sure whether I should follow you or not – you might have wanted to be alone but I decided it would be best to check on you."

"Well, I'm glad you did," said Hermione, still smiling. They were standing much closer together now and were smiling at each other. She saw Darrell hesitate a moment before slowly lean forward. She closed her eyes and felt his lips meet hers. Their kiss was sweet and short. Sweet – because he was a good kisser. Short – because they were interrupted.

There was a surprised gasp from behind, followed by something that sounded like a growl and then there was a lot of grunting. They turned to see who was there and saw a small group of Hermione's friends. Neville and Luna were the closest to the hall (and were holding hands!), Ginny was just in front of them, and Harry was the closest and was doing his best to hold back Ron (who was grunting and growling like a wild animal as he tried to get free). They all wore the same expression of surprise but they didn't look unhappy – they'd all been hoping she would meet someone so no doubt they'd be fine with her choice. Harry also looked surprised but was more concerned with holding Ron back.

Hermione scowled at Ron and said, "What's your problem?!"

He stopped struggling enough to spit, "You can't go with him. You don't know who he is!"

"And I don't know who you are." He stopped and looked at her, surprised. "Yeah, you heard. I don't know who you are. I used to – but not anymore! I don't know why you seem to have some problem about me going with someone else but I'm not with you anymore! I'm a free agent and I can go with anyone I want. What's more – you shouldn't be jealous. You have a girlfriend! Just leave me alone to get on with my life. You've moved on with someone else – now it's my turn!" And once again, she turned on her heel and stormed off. But before she left, she turned to her other friends and said, "Hey, guys? I hope you've had a good night so far – just don't let him spoil the rest of it." She looked meaningfully at Ron before turning and disappearing round the corner.

Taking off her shoes and hitching up her skirts, she ran bare-foot along the corridors and found the running seemed to help her anger. Every footstep on the floor felt like she was stamping on Ron's head and she began to feel much better as the rage wore off. By the time she finally slowed to a walk, she'd reached the astronomy tower. Students weren't allowed here except during class and all the teachers were at the ball so she knew she'd be alone. Still holding her shoes, she climbed the stairs bare-foot until she made it to the top and was faced with a fantastic view of the school grounds. Dropping her shoes on the floor, she leaned on the banister and stared out across the land, the cool night air blowing her hair against her face and neck.

"Hello again."

She turned to find Darrell (again). "Are you making a habit of following me?"

"You seem to be making a habit of fighting with your boyfriend." He instantly regretted this. "Sorry, I mean, ex-boyfriend – friend! Er…"

"It's fine, honestly," Hermione assured him. "I don't mind." She turned back to look at the view and Darrell came and stood next to her. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what? Coming to check on you?"

"Well, yes. But that wasn't what I was meaning. I meant for not killing Ron. Many would have done worse, I'm sure, but you held back. Annoying twat that he is, we are still friends in a way and if he's hurt, it'll hurt Harry and Ginny."

"Yeah. I did want to do more to him but…I've been trying to change after the war and fighting one of the Golden Trio is hardly a good idea." Hermione smiled at him. Okay, he _has_ to be a Slytherin! she thought to herself. He _has_ to be someone who was on the dark side.

"I wish I had done more to him, though. It would have been nice to send him to Madam Pomfrey. I've never liked Weasley. He was always annoying – and very easy to bait…" He stopped and looked away, looking worried. Hermione smiled. He was afraid he'd said too much and he had. She knew who he was now. She'd had a suspicion all night which kept growing but now it was definite. The way he'd said 'Weasley' had told her.

She smiled. Oh, he really has changed. I wonder if he knows who I am? she thought. I wonder what his reaction will be? After the war, everyone had tried to change for the better, especially the Slytherins. Hermione had noticed how they'd been much nicer to her, regarding her blood status – they no longer threw insults or gave her funny looks. They treated her the same – even Draco Malfoy, who used to enjoy torturing her about being muggle-born, was a totally new character since returning to school.

He wasn't overly nice but he treated her with respect and wasn't cruel. It wasn't just his treatment of her, his whole attitude seemed to have changed: he no longer swaggered around the school like he owned the place, he was no longer shadowed by Crabble and Goyle (they'd only been 'friends' due to their fathers but Draco could forget that now), and he'd actually been seen helping new first years and acting as a prefect should. Yes, Malfoy had definitely changed…

**Notes**: I'm _so_ sorry for the long wait. I had several ideas on how to write this chapter and this is, like, my 6th attempt. Plus, I was also dealing with exams after I published the last chapter so I couldn't write for a while.

It was hard to write the argument scene but Ron seems the jealous type so I thought it'd be interesting to write it. Hopefully, you like it. Please tell me your thoughts by reviewing.


	4. Chapter 4 The Result

The Masked Yule Ball

**Chapter Four** – The Result

A bell tolled in the background, informing everyone that it was five minutes to midnight – five minutes until the unmasking. Hermione bit her lip, trying to think of something to say while wondering what would happen in five minutes. "What are you thinking of?" asked Darrell.

"Oh, just…wondering what will happen in five minutes time. When I find out who you are." She looked directly at him and noticed he looked slightly nervous at her words. Maybe he was worried about how she'd react to _him_. "Have you guessed who I am yet?" she asked.

"I have an idea. What about me? Who do you think I am?"

"Hhmm…I'm still thinking it over," she lied and he looked relieved. "Although I think I have an idea." He immediately tensed again. Wow, he _is_ nervous, she thought. "You know, I _kind_ of hope you're a Slytherin."

He looked at her sharply. "Really? Why?"

"In the past, I've only ever seen the negative side to the Slytherins. Although I admit they are much better now, I hope you're a Slytherin as it'll prove that you guys can be really sweet, as shown by this evening. And I hope we'll continue to have a nice time after you find out who _I_ am."

"Oh…well, I'm sorry you've had a hard time from us. I _am_ a Slytherin, by the way, and I was horrible to people in the past. I was raised to believe Purebloods were the best and I could do or have anything I wanted. But as I got older, it…it didn't make sense. I met non-Purebloods who were smarter or more popular or…just had nice families. They had better things than me. Anyway, now my father and The Dark Lord are gone, I have a chance to redeem myself and actually find my own identity – and not _just_ the one I adopted from my father. I don't want to be like him anymore – I just want to be me."

Hermione gazed at him, touched by what he said. Without thinking, she suddenly grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss! He froze in shock but then slowly put his arms round her waist and she placed her arms around his shoulders to hold him closer.

The bell tolled again – this time to signal that it _was_ midnight. And with each chime, their masks began to disappear. None of the masks belonged to the students – they'd been provided by the school, and could be adapted and changed in order to suit each individual's outfit. However, at midnight, all the masks disintegrated to reveal who was underneath.

They opened their eyes at the final toll and stared at each other. Hermione pulled back and spoke first.

"Hello, Draco."

"Hello, Granger."

Hermione smiled. "I think we can go on a first-name basis now, don't you?"

"Er, sure…Hermione." He suddenly realised they were still clinging to each other and quickly stepped back. "Em…So. What do you think of this evening?"

"It's been better than expected – especially since I met you at the buffet table."

"Oh, good! Me, too. I kinda knew it was you. Friends with Weaslette – I mean, Ginny Weasley. And the fact that you used to date that pathetic brother of hers." His tone was one of disgust.

"Hhmm," smiled Hermione. "What did you do to your hair?"

"I dyed it," answered Draco, simply. "I knew my hair would stick out so I dyed it in the hope that people wouldn't recognise me."

Hermione smiled and pulled gently at one of her own strands of straight hair. "Yeah, same here." She looked back at him. "And for the record, I knew who you were, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The way you spoke and said 'Weasley' earlier when referring to Ron told me. But you seemed very tense whenever I tried to guess who you were. Were you worried about my reaction?"

"Truthfully, yes. I believe I _have_ changed but not everyone is quite as accepting to change their views about _me_. And, let's face it, after all the stuff I've said to you…yes, I was worried about your reaction."

"Well, I believe in second chances," smiled Hermione. She put her arms around his shoulders again. "Now how about a second chance kiss?"

"…That sounds a bit cheesy," said Draco. "And it's not our second kiss. Technically, it would be our third-"

He didn't have a chance to finish as she'd moulded her lips to his.

Just behind them, hiding silently behind a corner of the staircase, stood Ginny and Neville. Worried about Hermione, they'd followed her and her mystery beau to the tower, and had seen and heard everything. (Harry had had to drag Ron away towards the dormitories, leaving a lonely Lavender in the hall, and Luna was inspecting the plants around the hall, believing there to be Nargles or some such creature.)

Slowly, the two made their way down the stairs until it was safe to talk. "Wow," started Neville, still shocked.

"Hhmm," smiled Ginny, her mind on something completely different. "I knew it would do Hermione good to come to the ball."

Neville stared at her. "Aren't you shocked?" he cried, incredulously. "Or even a little surprised? I mean, that is _Draco Malfoy_!"

"No more surprised than when I found out you and Luna were dating."

"Wh-What? How does everyone know about that?!" he squeaked.

"Oh, please," groaned Ginny. "You'd have to be completely _ignorant_ to not notice how you two were around each other. Well, at least there's another new couple you can talk to. Hey, maybe we can all go out on a date night or something? I've been kinda hoping of going on a double date but I'm _not_ going with Ron and Lavender, you and Luna were a 'secret', and there weren't any other couples. Now the three of us could go out for a triple date! And-"

Neville stared at Ginny as she prattled on, excited about the prospect of having a new couple in the group. Looking back up the stairs, he smiled as he thought about the evening. The Gryffindor princess and the Slytherin prince? Well, if that wasn't a path to future inter-house relations, than he didn't know what was…

**Notes**: Finally! I finished my first fanfic. I thought I'd never finish it (I'm sure you probably did, too). Anyway, I'd always planned for this to be a four-parter and hopefully you like how it went.

Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing. I hope you've enjoyed it and let me know what you thought of the story as a whole.


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